Economics

The Economics Department at The New School for Social Research is one of a small number of economics PhD-granting programs in the world that offer rigorous, high-quality training for young scholars that emphasizes the history of economics, political economy, and economic history, and includes Keynesian, Post-Keynesian, Marxist, structuralist, and other heterodox approaches in conjunction with a critical and informed education in mainstream neoclassical economics.

The MA in Economics is a 30 credit program that provides depth of knowledge and analytical skills in the field of economics with the flexibility of a wide range of elective choices. Each candidate shapes an individual concentration, such as economics and finance, classical political economy, interdisciplinary political economy, urban economics, or development economics.

The MS in Economics is a 45-credit terminal degree designed for students who wish to study economics in more depth than the MA allows, particularly to develop their research skills in economic modeling and econometrics, without being committed to completing a PhD degree.

Courses of study emphasize the historical roots of economic ideas, their application to contemporary policy debates, and conflicting explanations and interpretations of economic phenomena. We emphasize research within the context of a rigorous training in conceptual, mathematical, and statistical modeling techniques that form the methodological basis of contemporary economic research.

Our work centers on the changing shape of the world economy, its financial markets and institutions, problems of regulating and guiding economic development in the advanced industrial world and in emerging markets, complexity in economic systems, labor markets, and the economic aspects of class, gender, and ethnic divisions.

Program Highlights

• 30-credit MA, 45-credit MS, 60-credit PhD.
• Explore a wide spectrum of heterodox theories and methodologies, including post-Keynesian, Marxian, and neo-Ricardian.
• Curriculum emphasizes the evolution of economic thought, financial markets and institutions, development and labor markets, social policy, and economics of class, gender, race, and ethnicity.

Why the New School?

The New School for Social Research was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive thinkers, and housed the University in Exile in 1933, providing an academic haven for scholars persecuted in Nazi Europe. The school became the foundation for a comprehensive university – The New School – and continues the legacy of critical thought, civic engagement, and academic freedom today.

All graduate programs at The New School for Social research can be completed full-time or part-time on our New York City campus. Competitive merit-based scholarships are available in all departments -- in recent years, 85% of master’s students have received merit scholarships at The New School for Social Research. 

Visit the Economics page on the The New School website for more details!